Abstract: After a decade of significant online instruction, it is imperative to reflect for a moment and forecast where this field is headed. This fun packed session will focus on online community tools and courseware systems needed for intellectually and pedagogically rich, collaborative, and engaging online learning. It will include an interactive and engaging overview of current best practices in online learning pedagogy including motivational techniques, learning style ideas, and many others. Then it will expand these ideas into visions of where we should go next—toward a community of innovative online instructors who seamlessly share their best online teaching ideas and practices. Examples and ideas discussed when presenting the R2D2 model will include blogging, video streaming, simulations, field reflections, case learning, online narratives, scenario learning, concept mapping tools, online journals, etc. Finally, in this session, participants will build their ultimate online learning environment. They will outline the types of online courseware systems and pedagogical strategies that are needed today.

Objectives

1. Share best practices in e-learning. 2. To become aware of the range of people promoting best practices in online learning. 3. To reflect on what additional or better online tools or systems are needed. 4. Learn about the R2D2 method of learning styles for addressing auditory, reflective, visual, and kinesthetic or hands-on learners. 5. Discover a wide range of ways to address different learning preferences or ways to individualize the learning environment. 6. To brainstorm or generate new systems and tools (the ultimate system?) 7. Make individual or organizational predictions of the future of e-learning in higher education and/or corporate settings. 8. Design ultimate online learning environments 9. Prepare and share strategic plans if administrator or action plans if instructor.

Topical Outline

Part I. Best Practices in e-learning a. Survey audience for their best practices b. Detail 50 motivational, collaborative and interactive ideas online c. Summarize various best practices from experts d. The Generation X and Neo Millennial Students e. Present online learning style ideas - The R2D2 Method of Learning Styles and Preferences - Read (Auditory and Verbal Learners): examples and ideas - Reflect (Reflective Learners): examples and ideas - Display (Visual Learners): examples and ideas - Do (Tactile, Kinesthetic, Exploratory Learners): examples and ideas - Select top ten ideas can use activity Part II. Building the Online Learning Environment a. Reflect on the current state of e-learning systems and tools b. Discuss new tools needed. c. Point to the Future of E-Learning--Current trends in e-learning d. Audience predictions e. Survey summary game. f. Strategic planning

Prerequisites

This tutorial is intended for online learning administrators, managers in government settings, decision makers, deans, and department chairs planning for or reflecting upon their online learning initiatives and strategic plans. It will also prove useful for those teaching or training in the trenches of online learning as well as instructional designers and e-learning evaluators. Suffice to say, anyone interested in emerging technologies or pedagogies will be interested in this session. In addition, those interested in how to turn research on e-learning into strategic plans should find this workshop highly appealing. It will not only help individuals map out their e-learning plans but also compare them to others.

Experience Level

Intermediate

Qualifications

Dr. Curtis J. Bonk is a former CPA and corporate controller who, after becoming sufficiently bored with that, received his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in educational psychology from the University of Wisconsin. Curt is now a Professor of Educational Psychology as well as Instructional Systems Technology at Indiana University (IU). He is also affiliated with the recently funded learning science program at IU as well as the new IU School of Informatics. He also is founding member of the Center for Research on Learning and Technology at IU and a Senior Research Fellow with the Advanced Distributed Learning Lab within the Department of Defense in DC. Curt received the Burton Gorman Teaching Award in 1999, the Wilbert Hites Mentoring Award in 2000 (first recipient), the CyberStar Award from the Indiana Information Technology Association in 2002, and the Most Outstanding Achievement by an Individual in Higher Education award from the U.S. Distance Learning Association in 2003. In 2003, he also received a State of Indiana award for Innovative Teaching in a Distance Education Program. In 2004, he received an outstanding alumni award from the University of Wisconsin. During the past two years, Dr. Bonk has presented over 150 talks around the globe related to online teaching and learning, including ones at universities in New Zealand, Australia, Korea, Iceland, Finland, the UK, and the United Arab Emirates. He has more than 100 publications on topics such as online learning pedagogy, collaborative writing technologies, synchronous and asynchronous computer conferencing, and frameworks for Web-based instruction and evaluation. His 1998 book, "Electronic Collaborators,” was cited as a “Breakthrough Book” in Lingua Franca. Bonk latest book, the Handbook of Blended Learning: Global Perspectives, Local Designs, will be published in December 2005. Finally, he is President of CourseShare and SurveyShare and can be contacted at cjbonk@indiana.edu or via his homepage at http://php.indiana.edu/~cjbonk/.